The present invention relates to a closure lock system for an automobile.
A conventional closure lock system is explained taking an automobile door lock system for an example. Commonly, the door lock system comprises a door lock assembly, a lock knob and a key cylinder. One type of door lock system is designed such that manipulating the lock knob will lock the lock assembly, whereas turning the key cylinder with a key will unlock the latter. In another type of door lock system, lock actuators are operatively connected to lock assemblies of all of the doors of an automobile to lock or unlock all the doors at the same time. In these door lock systems, when the door is to be locked from the outside of the vehicle, a key has to be inserted into the key cylinder or a lock knob has to be pressed to a lock position thereof and then the door has to be closed with an outside handle held in a raised position thereof. The latter locking operation is hereinafter referred to as a keyless locking operation.
However, with the above-mentioned door lock systems, since the key has to be inserted into the key cylinder on unlocking the door from the outside of the vehicle, once all of the doors are locked by the keyless locking operation with the key left inside of the vehicle, no one can unlock the doors until a spare key becomes available.